55 replies to this topic

[Bhael Fire]

Precocious Rayne, on 02 January 2013 - 07:38 PM, said:

The model you're suggesting while fun for the players, and cheaper runs the risk of MWO faceplanting due to lack of funds.

I'm not really suggesting that they should go "cheaper" — I'd just like them to aim for more accessibility.

By that, I mean offer a constant flow of interesting things to spend MC on, instead of just a paltry selection of moderate to expensive things. It would be nice to be able to waste MC in smaller, negligible amounts in the 25-50 MC range...maybe even 10-25 range for truly mundane vanity items that have limited use but are fun.

The goal is to get players to throw away their credits quickly, without making them feel like they are being ripped off. I'm not saying MWO feels like a rip-off...but I kinda am.

Also, "fun for players" is what keeps those players playing...and spending.

Edited by Bhael Fire, 02 January 2013 - 10:44 PM.

[Rayne Vickers]

Well, it's fair to remember that the game is still in beta technically, and many of those smaller things will be added over time, I'm sure (as far as cockpit decorations and things) there may even be other things you can get, who knows? You also run in the 25-50 MC range when converting XP off a mech (at least I do) and with unlocking modules requiring GXP, there's one way that'll encourage it that WoT does not have (their Free XP just works for unlocking parts or new tanks, they have a different skill system more similar to the mech tree otherwise).

I don't feel the game is any more or less a rip off than any other F2P game, just like those though, (and in real life too) some things are a better value or 'bang for your buck' than others, and you have to be informed to avoid the things that aren't (in this case, buying (most) CBill Mechs with MC).

You're right that "fun for players" keeps players playing and spending, though that "base" fun has to be the GAME itself, because if that isn't fun, all the MC deals in the world won't keep people playing. You also have to make sure to keep the "fun" balanced with pricing, and as I'm sure they'd tell you, PGI is still working on finding that balance, game's still beta, afterall.

[Seijin Dinger]

Biscuithammer, on 02 January 2013 - 07:48 PM, said:

Thank you. People need reasons to buy MC and there are a LOT of people out there that don't care about having a bright red mech or a hula girl.



Here's the thing. They aren't comparable. Mechwarrior has always been about trial and error and having lots of mechs at your disposal. Heck, even the XP trees seem to assume that you'll be buying many different variants of the same mech. Unfortunately the current model of MC and earned credits doesn't really make that kind of thing very possible. I'll be lucky if I have a third mech by the end of the month.

Please note that this used a founder's mech so I did get CBill bonus, but when I was grinding my basic Catapult tree, the money I earned with my C1 was more than enough to buy an A1 by the time I needed to move to the next mech in line

[Gladewolf]

Precocious Rayne, on 02 January 2013 - 05:42 PM, said:

You're kind of doing it wrong. Premium status gives you a 50% boost in the amount of XP and CBills you earn per match (which is good regardless, better the better you play--and the CB bonus from an MC purchased or Founder's mech stacks with the CB Bonus of Premium), if you buy your MC in larger batches (i.e. $29.95 or $49.95) and purchase your premium time by the month (2,500 MC/month) you end up averaging out to an MC cost of 83.3 (repeating) MC per day, if you bough the 14.95 3000 MC package every month, that leaves you 500MC to play with each month (comparable to the points most F2P games like ToR, LotRO etc. give you per month for being a sub) if you buy the 29.95 package you get 6,500 MC which gives you 2 months of premium time and 1500 MC left to play with (or put toward MORE time later). The best value comes from buying the 49.95 (12,000) or $99.95 (25,000) packages, at that point you get 4 months of premium with 2,000 MC remaining to do other stuff with, or put toward more time; The best value comes from the 99.95 package giving you 10 months of premium with no remaning MC for the cost of what is just over 6 months of a subscription to a standard MMO.

The prices are exactly on par with World of Tanks (WoT) for Premium account, garage slot pricing, and XP conversion the only difference is WoT doesn't let you purchase regular tanks for gold (if they did, I bet it would be done a lot, though it'd be as silly there as it is here...they DO let you trade gold for credits which I hope DOESN'T happen here).

Sometimes I think people can't do math or figure out value for their money, this is why the US has so much trouble.

While I do appreciate the corrections in some cases I requested, you are completely missing at least part of the point of what I have written. The reason my figures are off, is because i can't see the other values you are refering to. It is not a failure to be able to do math so much as a lack of information to do it with. That's why I was asking for a simple advert page here on this website that lays the pricing plan out clearly(and what you get for a given price). I can't see the values you layed out, because at the moment, I only have 415 MC, so all the other selections for time can't be selected from the game screen. (I am still on premium time from my founder's account so have not yet had to purchase time)

In any case, even with your figures (i'll not check them since you are clearly a math wiz) It will still cost me more to fully participate in this game as a paying member than it would for me to play WoW(the subscription includes everything but the occational fluffy pet), even after adding in the cost of my initial purchase, because ANYTHING that requires MC costs extra under the current format.

That is why i was requesting an MC stipend for monthly or greater purchasers. That is a CLEAR benefit vs. some extra money and exp(simply playing for free with a team of 4 will get you that without paying a dime) that i can't put toward so much as a paint scheme or pair of fuzzy dice, nevermind that even though i'm already PAYING that i still can't get into a hero mech without paying even more, that makes not sense.

Ryvucz, on 02 January 2013 - 08:03 PM, said:

Your title needs more cow bell.

Your post needs a little more oompf.

[REDACTED FOR EVILNESS]

Aaaaand, I like pie, sometimes.

Perhaps you should, oh I dunno, buy the cheapest MC pack possible, once a month, and maybe you will feel it is less daunting over time?

Or just enjoy the fact that it's free to play and you can actually get mechs by... playing the game.

We've already established that it costs less money over time to spend more on MC upfront. The points that I take from this post is that spending costs are really not clear and that even with the figures given, this game costs more to subscribe to on a monthly basis with the ability to use all game features than a subscription game, even after factoring the initial 60 bucks for the game itself.

You are also missing the point that the OP WANTS to spend money on this game It is merely the pricing that is prohibiting him from doing so. Convincing everyone to simply play this game for free(I don't think you actually said that, but i saw that response several times in other responses here) is NOT going to keep it around for very long.

Other fun facts:
-You CAN purchase C-bills with MC, simply buy a mech(with MC) and then sell it

[Firewuff]

I totally agree pricing is too high. I bought $50 of MC just becasue I want to support the game. I'm NEVER going to buy a mech with them, its just too expensive. I do but mech bays, paint and other bits and pieces.

$2-4 for a mech, $5-$10 for a hero mech is reasonable. If I need 3 variants of 1 chassi to get Master I'm not paying over $50 for that at the moment.

What gets me is you can't buy engines or equip with MC.. that just seems odd.

[Easyvue]

Yea other free to play games have similar prices, but other free to play games (league of legends) has an astronomically higher player base and the reputation to charge these prices. A new player isn't going to drop huge bucks on the game with the prices the way they are now, especially after being rolled by premades or veterans and having to spectate more than they actually get to play.

Every f2p dev wants to be league of legends. That doesn't mean you should charge the same prices as the worlds biggest F2P game, you're an amatuer so charge accordingly I mean the game isnt even CLOSE to finished and you want AAA f2p prices?

If MC were about half as much I would have bought more, I just feel cheated looking at that MC pricing

[Xandralkus]

I agree, items are too expensive. 100-ton Hero Mechs should cost 2500 MC at most.

Davers, on 02 January 2013 - 12:27 PM, said:

Mech prices are in line with other F2P games. Just buy MC when it's on sale to get the best deal.

Never mistake the status quo as the state of maximum potential.

Also, has it occured to you that the real-money market price for a mech might be completely, totally, and radically different from other, completely unrelated F2P game items?

WARNING: INCOMING ECONOMICS DETECTED

The high elasticity of demand for MC and MC-related items will not competently bear these market prices. If the price falls by 10%, demand will rise by much more than 10%, thus resulting in higher net revenue from lower market prices.

[No7]

You have to understand the reason why you can buy the standard mechs with MC in the first place.

The reason is time.

If you have the time to play and gather c-bills, you will buy the standard mechs with c-bills.

If you don't have the time to grind c-bills, you will bypass this grind and buy mc.

That's the only reason and the price for doing so should be fairly high.

7

[Gladewolf]

No7, on 04 January 2013 - 01:02 AM, said:

You have to understand the reason why you can buy the standard mechs with MC in the first place.

The reason is time.

If you have the time to play and gather c-bills, you will buy the standard mechs with c-bills.

If you don't have the time to grind c-bills, you will bypass this grind and buy mc.

That's the only reason and the price for doing so should be fairly high.

7

If you are not a Premium player, I would agree with this statement. However, those of us willing to pay a monthly(or recuring) fee to remain on premium, should not be penalized in the same manner....The why is simple, we have ALREADY agreed to pay.

[Kraven Kor]

MC prices in relation to Premium Time - ie. how much MC you get for a Dollar, and how much premium time that MC buys, seems about right. Premium time should be the majority of their MC sales, really.

Mechbays are priced right.

Decorative items are a bit pricey, but not overly so. The bobbleheads and such should cost no more than a dollar.

The paint scheme stuff is just wrong and I refuse to spend a dime on it until they fix it. Needs to be one-time, permanent purchases at about $2 to $5 per color set / pattern. Then CBills to actually repaint the mech.

Individual Mechs should not cost as much as they do - maybe $10 for a single Atlas variant, $25 for all three. Hero Mechs I can see at maybe $15 to $20 as revenue drivers.

Just my $0.25 (adjusted for Inflation / Insane MWO Pricing.)

Edited by Kraven Kor, 04 January 2013 - 12:54 PM.

[Biscuithammer]

Bhael Fire, on 02 January 2013 - 09:15 PM, said:

I'm not really suggesting that they should go "cheaper" — I'd just like them to aim for more accessibility.

By that, I mean offer a constant flow of interesting things to spend MC on, instead of just a paltry selection of moderate to expensive things. It would be nice to be able to waste MC in smaller, negligible amounts in the 25-50 MC range...maybe even 10-25 range for truly mundane vanity items that have limited use but are fun.

The goal is to get players to throw away their credits quickly, without making them feel like they are being ripped off. I'm not saying MWO feels like a rip-off...but I kinda am.

Also, "fun for players" is what keeps those players playing...and spending.

Exactly. The biggest problem I'm having is that this feels like the normal F2P grind where it takes a while to get what you want, but you can always just spend some money to get it sooner. I don't mind that. Tribes was like that and I enjoyed Tribes. But I can't do that here. I would love to buy an Awesome for a reasonable about of MC, but I'm afraid that my interest in this game is going to give-way before I can reach that goal because I'm stuck with one finished mech, one mech I don't like (oh, by the way, how messed up is it that you can't even try out mechs before you buy them? Normally I'd say that they were doing that so they could get more of my money. But they don't want ANY of my money right now.), and the four trial mechs that frankly don't rotate often enough.

Edited by Biscuithammer, 05 January 2013 - 12:55 AM.

[Nicholai Matowski]

As several people have pointed out, the game is unfinished.

I don't spend money on things that are unfinished. Especially at atrocious rates. I mean, I as well as everyone else here is a beta tester. When do we get paid for our time that we put into this game with so many glaring issues that it has become a droll grind.

I can't get rid of AFKers on my team.
I get penalized for returning fire on a TKer
There are glitches that have been in the game for months
The net code is still atrocious
The programming team can't make up it's mind whether it wants to be a hard core mech sim, or call of duty in robots.

Heck, the Hawken people just sent me 5k worth of premium in game currency, for playing the game for an hour. as a thank you. Go figure.

You want bottom of the barrel, i just gave it to you. A game that is call of duty with robots, whose subscriber base probably isn't even half of what mwo's is... just sent me in game currency as a thank you for being in their open beta test.

PGI? You're doing it wrong. I love battletech. there's a reason i'm not playing Hawken even with that little gift. Please don't let me and the rest of the battletech universe down.

[Biscuithammer]

Nicholai Matowski, on 05 January 2013 - 02:09 AM, said:

As several people have pointed out, the game is unfinished.

I don't spend money on things that are unfinished. Especially at atrocious rates. I mean, I as well as everyone else here is a beta tester. When do we get paid for our time that we put into this game with so many glaring issues that it has become a droll grind.

I can't get rid of AFKers on my team.
I get penalized for returning fire on a TKer
There are glitches that have been in the game for months
The net code is still atrocious
The programming team can't make up it's mind whether it wants to be a hard core mech sim, or call of duty in robots.

Heck, the Hawken people just sent me 5k worth of premium in game currency, for playing the game for an hour. as a thank you. Go figure.

You want bottom of the barrel, i just gave it to you. A game that is call of duty with robots, whose subscriber base probably isn't even half of what mwo's is... just sent me in game currency as a thank you for being in their open beta test.

PGI? You're doing it wrong. I love battletech. there's a reason i'm not playing Hawken even with that little gift. Please don't let me and the rest of the battletech universe down.

Well, I know the game is unfinished. But I'm just pointing out that this is a glaring issue that they can fix pretty easily.

[BerryChunks]

What they needed to do was calculate all the things you need to buy ONCE to max out at around 40-60$ worth of MC (like a standard game), and then give all the parts their individual MC values.

Also, you shouldn't have to rebuy paint schemes or other things that you can only switch around for MC.

[FelixBlucher]

While the mechs are fairly expensive, it also is fairly reasonable pricing for the amount of time you would have spent getting them. If you are to busy to play that time to get the mechs, then you should have the money to spend on getting them. If you have more time than money, then you can play and get the cbills.

On the other hand, the cockpit items, and paint jobs are way to expensive for useless items. Paint jobs are a big issue for me. I would buy them at the current prices, if I could keep the colors, pattern, and such for the mech I purchase them on. The main thing that I dislike is that I lose the paint job if I decide to change it. I would not mind paying Cbills to change the paint job with things I have already purchased. But the current system will not get me to spend one MC on it.

Edit: Minor Changes

Edited by FelixBlucher, 07 January 2013 - 05:48 AM.

[Biscuithammer]

FelixBlucher, on 07 January 2013 - 05:47 AM, said:

it also is fairly reasonable pricing for the amount of time you would have spent getting them.

Maybe this is also part of the problem? There's really no reason why anything should be that big of a grind in this game. You can't buy MC, and if having an Awesome means the difference between me enjoying the game or not enjoying it? Well, then I'll just stop playing and go play Warframe or Hawken. I mean, I made the mistake (an easy one) of buying a mech I turned out to not enjoy very much. So now I'm being punished by being forced to either stop playing or grind hours on end again in order to get the mech I want so I can have fun.